Willie Nelson – “The Scientist” (Coldplay Cover)

August 31, 2011

Just in case you needed another reminder of Willie Nelson’s ability to breathe new life into an old song, the living country legend has re-imagined Coldplay’s 2002 A Rush of Blood to the Head single “The Scientist” as a heartfelt ballad, replete with Willie’s inimitable melody variations and nuanced tone. As Stereogum points out, this new rendition was recorded for this week’s launch of the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, the fast food chain’s new organization that’s “working to improve individual family farms, animals and the environment, and youth and education programs.”

While the tune arrives with an unusual video starring animated farm animals, the clip is a bit distracting from Nelson’s laudable take, so check out just the song’s stream below.